Since the last entry many new things have happened. After meeting with the Honduran children’s social welfare agency director, and calls from the Honduras Embassy in Washington D.C., (thanks to Senator John McCain’s office), the judge in Roatan finally issued the sentence for Margarita’s abandonment decree.
The social welfare agency had their committee meeting on Dec 12th and officially “assigned” Margarita to me. This is a HUGE step and basically the last part of that process. Now my lawyer takes that paperwork and hands it into the judge of minors so they can issue the adoption decree. I was told this will take 3 months so I estimate 5 months.
Also simultaneously, U.S. immigration will do their investigation to confirm that Margarita is an orphan. I have been translating the documents to hand in and found a social worker in Phoenix to review my Honduran home study which is one of the requisites for immigration. I am aiming to have someone fill my position for our July orientation and hopefully be back in Phoenix by early fall.
Skz has been down twice in the last few months and is coming down again on January 17th with his sister. We will be on the Ranch for 5 days and then travel for a week first going to the lake called Lago Yojoa, then to the north Caribbean coast to a town called Tela. In Tela they have a few national parks with hiking and canoeing. Then off to La Ceiba, another north coast town that has a cloud forest called Pico Bonito. We will hike there, go to hot springs and hopefully visit Cayos Cachinos, a small island chain off the coast with little inhabitants.
I have been to most of the above places but not have done the exploring so I am excited about it too.
Margarita is doing well and I am trying to speak more English with her daily. She understands a lot, especially commands and sometimes she throws a few English words in with her Spanish.
She told me the other day that when she grows up and has lots of money that she wants to buy a child here on the Ranch in the babies house. I told her that the children arrive with their brothers and sisters so they aren’t for sale, not do we buy children but she can donate money for the children. She looked at me and nodded, like that’s what she wanted to do.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year from Honduras.
Write when you can. hc.hn@nph.org
with love,
Monica
